Patrons look out toward Pier 27 from the patio dining area of Pier 23.

Patrons look out toward Pier 27 from the patio dining area of Pier 23.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Image 6 of 9

Mike Leboeuf and Andrew Moore are members of the oldest pipe band west of the Mississippi. The pipers were playing at Pier 23 in San Francisco, Calif., on March 15, 2008.

Mike Leboeuf and Andrew Moore are members of the oldest pipe band west of the Mississippi. The pipers were playing at Pier 23 in San Francisco, Calif., on March 15, 2008.

Photo: Lance Iversen / San Francisco Chronicle

Image 7 of 9

Guests eat at Pier 23 Cafe

Guests eat at Pier 23 Cafe

Photo: Jessica Olthof / The Chronicle

Image 8 of 9

During the winter and spring months, a large warm tent covers much of the patio area at the Pier 23 Cafe.

During the winter and spring months, a large warm tent covers much of the patio area at the Pier 23 Cafe.

Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Image 9 of 9

Pier 23 Cafe patrons Colleen (left) and Eve enjoy their view of the bay from the outdoor dining area at the Pier 23 Cafe.

Pier 23 Cafe patrons Colleen (left) and Eve enjoy their view of the bay from the outdoor dining area at the Pier 23 Cafe.

Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Port History: Pier 23 Cafe

1 / 9

Back to Gallery

This week’s installment of the Chronicle’s ongoing Port Series profiles Pier 23 Cafe. As Jon Bonné points out in his piece, Pier 23 Cafe finds itself in a strange time, with its extensive dive history on one side, and Larry Ellison’s mega-yachts on the other side. Read up for more on Pier 23, and its history of breeding bartenders and musicians alike; share your favorite memories of the place in the comments.

Here’s the timeline of the place, along with just a few of its many, many mentions in Herb Caen’s columns, society columns and music news:

1939: Sally Rand’s Nude Ranch is the hit of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. Her image is immortalized as the de facto Pier 23 Cafe logo today.

1940s-1950s: Under owner Havelock Jerome, Pier 23 Cafe is established as a place for live music and strong drinks.

1985: Flicka McGurrin and Peggy Knickerbocker, two San Francisco socialies-turned-caterers take over Pier 23. With good food and a new trendiness, the watering hole finds new popularity.

1985: Herb Caen writes: “No, I didn’t spend the entire weekend dirtying my hands and mind on newspapers. It was the kind of spring weekend that should have been preserved in aspic, a thought that made me hungry, so I went to Pier 23, which is now open for lunch as well as nighttime jazz. The place smells funky, as though dozens of hamburgers were frying, and has a nifty view of the bay. The food is hearty. I had something called Cajun Meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Like your mother used to make, if your mother was Creole.”

1985: Patricia Unterman reviews the reinvigorated version of Pier 23 Cafe, and puts it on her Top 10 Best New Restaurants of the year, alongside places like Fog City Diner, Pat O’Shea’s Mad Hatter and Hubert Keller’s Sutter 500. A portion of her review reveals that even 30 years ago, Fisherman’s Wharf restaurants left something to be desired:

The universal question asked by newcomers to San Francisco is “Where should I eat on Fisherman’s Wharf?” My frustrating answer is that I can’t recommend any place. What may once have been a mecca for fresh fish- and crab-lovers has become an imitation of what fishing port restaurants should be, and an expensive one at that … However, there are a few places I like, located right on the bay. They do not specialize in fish but they ooze old San Francisco wharf ambience. They take their picturesque views of the bay in stride without making a fetish of them and they both serve honest food. Unfortunately, they are only open for lunch, but you can’t see the water that well at night anyway. Pier 23 is run by Peggy Knickerbocker and Flicka McGurrin, two women who established their niche in the cooking world by catering. A couple of months ago they commandeered the kitchen of this waterfront shack without changing a thing and the result is exhilarating – up-to-date, fresh, solidly prepared food in resonant, old waterfront surroundings where you would normally expect to get something poured from a can … An ancient copper-topped bar has the best location in the house, in front of bay side windows that look straight out to Treasure Island. About 12 tables with sturdy wooden chairs fill up the rest of the room. Two concessions to the shack’s new image – white table cloths and big bowls of spring flowers – don’t intrude on the sanctity of waterfront naturalism. No attempt has been made to transform Pier 23 into anything chic or touristy. The food reflects this same down-to-earth attitude.

Richard Simmons, the diet-and-fitness guru who’s a killer on TV, showed up in a white limo and white jumpsuit during Ken Maley’s 40th birthday party at Pier 23 on Mon. night. When a beautiful girl walked in alone, an airhead localite who doesn’t know Richard is unabashedly gay whispered, “There’s a live one for you.” “Let’s face it, ” iced Simmons. “If I saw a woman with no clothes on I’d think she was a man who’d been in an accident.” I’ve been a Simmons fan ever since a party at which a butterball woman walked past in a huge feather boa, prompting him to observe, “She looks like an unplucked matzo ball.”

1985: Herb Caen: “Nice publicist Ken Maley is back from Port Antonio, Jamaica, where he visited Robin Williams, there making a flick titled “Club Paradise” with Twiggy and Peter O’Toole. Ken brought him one of those gimmicky cans of S.F. fog, at which Robin sobbed in the humid heat, “Oh home! Oh fog and lunch at Pier 23!”

1986: Herb Caen reveals the height of fame in San Francisco: “The open dock behind Pier 23 was jammed Sun. with people wolfing down the Curt Gentry Special (eggs benedict on a baked potato); getting your name on a menu is the height of fame in this town, as you know.”

1987: A big fire forces Pier 23 Cafe to close for over eight months. During that time, lease negotiations with the port prompt rumors that it might close, but owners Peggy Knickerbocker and Flicka McGurrin make a deal to keep it open.

1987: Herb Cane writes: “Actor Dennis Hopper, wandering around last wkend, dropped in at Pier 23 Sat. night and was soon whooping it up, if that’s the proper term, with Mayor Dianne and her Dick plus the Rev. Cecil Williams and his wife, Janice. Hopper, here putting the finishing recording touches on a movie called “Colors, ” had such a fine time, he returned next day with a major can of caviar to share with the staff.”

1989: After 22 years of business together, Peggy Knickerbocker and Flicka McGurrin break up up their partnership. McGurrin takes over Pier 23 Cafe on her own.

2000: Political development controversy strikes San Francisco, as is the norm. A new waterfront proposal sparks outrage, and McGurrin is outspoken:

“I think it’s pathetic to have Disney World on the waterfront, ” said Flicka McGurrin, owner of the Pier 23 bar and restaurant, a popular bayside hangout known for its reggae nights and outdoor happy hour. “It’s wonderful to increase the glamour, but I think all of these projects are a little scary. For one thing, how are people going to get from one place to the other?”

2008: Giant dead and rotting animals are revealed to be GREAT for business:

The dead whale appeared to be good for business at nearby Pier 23 Cafe, where the lunchtime crowd had taken up positions on the deck along the railing. They were slightly closer to being able to see the whale if they could have seen it, which they couldn’t.

“I’m really sad the whale got caught under the pier, ” said restaurant owner Flicka McGurrin, although the sight of all the full tables didn’t seem to make her particularly sad.

“It’s a great day to come and have lunch, and the wind is strong today, so I don’t think the whale is going to be a problem, ” McGurrin said.

The thing to smell, she said, is the crab and shrimp dish coming out of the kitchen, for $14.75.”

2010: Chef Joey Altman signs up to overhaul the food menu as a consulting chef, with Matt Garcia as the executive chef.